Tomato-coring machine.



A. P. WOLFE.

TOMATO GORING MACHINE.

l AYPLIGATION FILED FEB. a, 1912.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

- BY. A

A. i. WOLPB.

TOMATO GORING MACHINE.

APPLIOATION FILED rms. a. 1912.

Patented Nov.4, 1913.

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tmiTn-Dv sTATEs PATENT ormoni.

ARTHUR WOLFE, 0F VINELANEP, NEW JERSEY.

TOMATO-comma MnCHmE.'

To all w/Lomz't may concern:

Be it known that l, ARTHUR?. WOLFE, a residing at Vineland, in thecounty .of Cumberland, State of New Jersey, have invented certain newand .useful Improvements in Tomato- Coring Machines, of which thefollowing is a description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part hereof.

My invention relates to coring devices particularly intended lforcutting out and removing 'the cores of tomatoes, and has for its objectto provide means for this [pun pose which will remove las little aspossible of the flesh of the tomato, 4and will be adapted to Kcut awayonly so much ofthe tomato' as may be necessary, whether the tomato bethick or thin, cutting out no more from a relatively thick tomato thanfrom a thin one, .and Ialways cutting away sufiicient to fully removethe core.

A further object of the invention is to provide -a coringdevice whichwill carry the cut-out core .away from the tomato and will deposit thecored tomato and the core in separate lchutes or receptacles.

With .these and other objects hereinafterl described in view, myinvention consists in the construction and combination of elementshereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Referring -to the drawings-Figure 1 is a side view of coring machineembodying my invention; Fig. :2 is a plan view of the -re-volvg table.on which the tomatoes are supported; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectionalview of `[the revolving table; Fig. 4 is an enlarged side view of theknife support and devices carried Iby it; Fig. 5 is an edge view of thedevices shown in Fig. 4; Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the Ycam disk.by which the knives :are operated, and Fig. 7 is a detail view of thelever for operating the knives.

Aleferringto the drawings, 1 indicates the .frame of the machine havinga bearing at 2 in its lower lportion for a vertical shaft 3, and havingan upper arm 4 having a bearing near its ends at 5 for .the upper end ofthe vertical shaft 3. The vertical sha-ft 3 is .arranged to be rotatedby any convenient means, as, for instance, the Worm 6 on power shaft 7and worm gear 8 4on shaft 3. On

the shaft 3 just above the bearing 2 is -secured la table l9 havinghinged sect-ions 10 Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 4', 1913.

Application filed February 8, 1912. Serioal No. 675,363.

cupped on their upper sides to form a bowl 11 adapted to receive .andcenter a :tomato 12. This 4bowl 11 is symmetrical with reference to itscenter, so that corresponding opposite points are'equidistant from thecenter, and as tomatoes are almost invariably symmetrical with referenceto the line fpassing through the centers ofthe core and the yblossomend, the .bowl will, cause the ycenter of the core to be in line with-the center fof the 'bowl'.

Secured on the vertical shaft 3 near its upper end vis a 4.pair ofoppositely extending arms 13, each vhaving .in its end a verticalbearing 14 for :a vertically movable rod 15. Each rod 15 carries on itslower -end below the bearing 14 a cross head 16 having a centraldownward extension 17, in which is adjnstably secured the ufpper end ofa core rod 18. Pivoted at each end of the crosshead 16 is a curved knife19, the'lower ends of these knives being -adapt-ed to cut out the coreof a tomato when brought together, The lower ends of the knives arearranged in planes below the end of the core rod and are preferablyarranged to have their lower edges pass one by the other like the bladesof scissors. Pivoted on'the downward extension 17, at 23, is a lever20,' and this lever is connected by pivoted links 21, 22 with the knives19, the link 21 vbeing` connected to the llever 2O below its pivot 23,and the link 22 being connected with the lever above its pivot 23. Tothe upper end of the lever -20 is pivotally connected an operating rod24.

The rod 15 and its cross head 16 is arranged to be movable up `and downby any convenient means, such, for instance, as the means hereinafterdescribed. The center of the rod is arranged in line with the center ofthe cup or bowl shaped depression 11 in the tiltable section 10 of thevtable 9. A tomato being' in place in the depression 11, andcentered-,as above described, the rod 15 is moved downward until the endvof the core rod 18 rests on the hard green center of the core.The-operatingrod 24 is then moved in a direction toward the shaft 3 andcauses the lever 20 to swing on its pivot and through the links 21 and22 causes the lower ends of the knives 19 to cut or bite out the core.The rod, cross head and lknives are then caused to rise, andas the'shaft 3 and arms 13 rotate the operating rod 24 is at the proper timecaused to move away from the nshaft 3, opening the knives andpermittingthe core to drop into a suitable chute or re-,v

ceptacle.

The means shown for sliding the rod 15 with its cross head and knives upand down comprises a lever 25 pivoted at 26 on the arm 13 and connectedat its outer end by a link 27 with the upper end of rod 15., On itsinner end the lever 25 carriesa vroller 28, which is adapted to beengagedl by a cam 29 on the under side of a cam disk 30 secured to theunder side of the arm 4 concentric with the shaft 3.

The operating rod 24 is slotted at 31 near its inner end, and throughthis slot ext-ends a rod 32, havin a head 33 at its lower end. This rodis carrled by a lever 34, being con- 'nected to the lower end of thelever by a relatively stiE spring 35. This lever is pivoted at 36 on thearm 13, and at its upper end carries a roller 37, which is in positionto be engaged by a cam 38- on the side of the cam disk 30.

The sections 10 of the table 9 are pivoted at 40, so that 'they normallylie iiat in the plane of the fixed portions of the table.

They are each provided at their outer ends with an arm 41 carrying aroller 42, which roller is of sufficient weight to normally hold thesectionsA as above mentioned and the frame of the machine is provided ata suitl able point with a cam 43, against which the roller 42 strikes,and the section 10 is there' by 'caused to tilt sufficient-ly to dislode the cored tomato and allow it to slide o into the chute 44. y

45 is a chute for the cores, into which they drop when the knives 19 areallowed to open after they have cut the core out.

The rod 15, with the cross head 16 and the knives, is constructed ofsuch materials and` of such weight that it will drop quickly when thecam 29 releases the roller 28, but

is, of course, not sufficiently heavy to cause the core rod 18 to injurethe tomato. The

, core rod, as its lower end comes in contact with the core or stem' endof the tomato, stops the further descent of the cross head and knives,and the knives are then operated to cut out the core. The amount ofmaterial cut out bythe knives will be always the same, whether thetomato operated on be thick vor thin, and is only varied by. adjustingthe core rod 18 up or down.

It will, of course, be understood that I do not desire to be limitedtothe particular construction shown or tothe particular means shown foroperating. the knives, as they may be varied without eparting from thespirit of the invention. p y

y It will also be understood that while primarily intendedfor coringtomatoes, my

n invention may be usedfor other/fruit or vegetables.

I Having'thus described myinvention, what 1 claim is:

1. Means for coring tomatoes, comprising means for supporting andcentering the tomatoes, knives adapted to enter the tomato on oppositesides of the core, a support for said knives movable toward and awayfrom mato with its core end up, knives a apted toenter the tomato onoposite sides of the core, a support for sai knives, movable .toward andaway from the tomato, a rod carried by said support adapted to bear aainst4 the tomato core to thereby correctly X the position of the kniveswith relation to the to mato, means for operating the knives tocore thetomato. y i

3. A machine for coring tomatoes, con sist-ing of a supporting table forthe tomatoes, supporting means 'above said table for coring knivesLsaidknife-carrying support movable toward and away from said tomato carryingtable, a blunt rod attached to said knife carrying support adapted tolimit the downward movement .of said support by bearing against thetomato core to thereby properly fix the knives in relation to thetomato, means for actuating the knives to cause them to core the tomato.v

4. A machine for coring tomatoes, consistingof a circular table, amovable support for the tomatoes attached to and mounted Yflush withsaid table, said table fastened securely to and rotated by a verticalshaft, suo porting means for knivessecurely attached to and rotated withthe above mentioned shaft, coring knives attached to said support, meansfor `bringing the knives into proper relation with the tomato dependingon the size of the'latter, and means for operating the knives'to causethem to core the tomato.

to a vertical shaft upon which shaft is also mounted the said circular`table, a cam for moving the knife support into properposltion forcoring, a camoperating the knives.

yto thereby core the tomatoes. A v 6. A machine for coring tomatoes,com` lprising means `for supporting and centering the tomato, avertically supported shaft, knives pivotally connectedtosaid shaft, alever pivoted to said shaft intermediate and linked to said knives, anarm linked to said lever and means for thereby open and close the saidknives.

A machine for coring tomatoes, com- 5 prising means for supporting andcentering the tomato, a vertlcally supported shaft, a cross-head at thelower end of said shaft, knives pivotally connected to said crosshead, alever also pivoted to said cross-head 13 immediate and linked to saidknives so that the one knife will travel through 'a greater actuatingthe arm to arc than the other and thereby contaot with the innersurfaoethereof, an arm connected to said lever and means for actuating saidarm. A

This 'specification signed and witnessed this first day of February A.D. 1912.

ARTHUR RWOLFE;

In the presence'of- THOMAS TUsso, HENRY S. ALvoRn.

